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China's AI industry salary has doubled, talent competition is still the key
The future of the AI industry remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: it will continue to develop at an accelerated pace. This rapid growth presents a wealth of opportunities for investment and entrepreneurship. However, as the industry expands, a critical challenge has emerged—talent shortages have become the biggest bottleneck, even though top AI professionals in China now earn salaries comparable to those in Silicon Valley.
According to reports from foreign media, with increasing investments flowing into startups and established companies, along with the government’s push for rapid AI development, thousands of people are now employed by tech firms to bolster cybersecurity and position China as a global leader in AI applications.
Thomas Liang, a former executive at Baidu, noted that companies are desperate for talent. Startups in popular AI sectors often offer 50% to 100% higher salaries than the market average to attract skilled workers.
[Image: "China's AI industry has doubled its salary. Talent competition is still the key."]
In recent years, China has emerged as a major global technology hub. Tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent now boast market caps exceeding $1 trillion, fueling a surge in both recruitment and wages within the tech sector. In some fields, top talents in China now earn salaries that rival those in Silicon Valley.
Despite efforts by the government to create high-paying jobs and elevate China’s position in the global value chain, this trend risks widening income inequality. Non-technical jobs tend to pay much less, while AI-related opportunities are concentrated in major cities like Beijing and Shenzhen.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s IT and software industries saw a 33.8% year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter of last year. Data from the job site 100offer.com shows that AI graduates in China can earn between 300,000 to 600,000 yuan annually, while team leaders with 3–5 years of experience can easily surpass 1.5 million yuan per year. Most of these roles are located in big cities.
Thomas Liang also mentioned that AI salaries in China have roughly doubled since 2014.
In contrast, AI researchers in San Francisco earn an average of $112,659 (about 720,000 yuan), while machine learning engineers make around $150,815 (about 960,000 yuan).
Many Chinese software engineers studying in the U.S. are concerned about Trump’s immigration policies affecting their visa access, but this has made returning home more appealing. Some Chinese tech companies are actively recruiting students from American universities, even setting up offices in Silicon Valley to attract top talent.
Song, a 26-year-old AI engineer in Beijing, shared that his salary has doubled after studying AI. He currently earns about 320,000 yuan annually.
George, another 26-year-old working on the news app “Today’s Headlines,†earns around $60,000 (about 380,000 yuan) a year. He said he would consider leaving if better opportunities arise.
Venture capital continues to flood into Chinese tech companies. According to Preqin, risk capital investments in Greater China reached over $65 billion last year—a 35% increase from the previous year, breaking records. In comparison, North America received $770 million in AI funding.
The Chinese government is pushing for the integration of AI, big data, and the internet with traditional industries to move the economy upstream in the global value chain. At the same time, technologies like facial recognition are being used to enhance public safety and combat crime.
Meanwhile, the tech boom is spreading beyond coastal cities. Alibaba has established a headquarters in Xi’an, and companies like Apple and Qualcomm are investing heavily in Guizhou, a province in southwest China.
However, not all wages are rising. In low-tech sectors, salaries remain stagnant, and employment in manufacturing and services is declining.
Qu Hongbin, HSBC’s chief economist in Hong Kong, pointed out: “Don’t forget that by 2018, there were 8.2 million college graduates in China needing jobs. From my perspective, the pressure to create enough employment opportunities is still significant.â€